IN PERFORMANCE

World Music Festival nurtures exotic sounds in kick-off weekend

The 14th annual World Music Festival made a bit of history over the weekend, presenting all its shows for free and, better still, tapping unconventional venues deep inside the neighborhoods.

Never before had the festival staged performances at Austin Town Hall, at 5610 W. Lake St. Though Saturday afternoon's marathon had its flaws, the caliber of the musicians performing was not one of them.

Each of the three, stylistically far-flung bands made a compelling case for itself, though none proved as viscerally exciting as De Temps Antan, from Quebec. Though one might call this ensemble a folk trio, that barely grazes the surface of what these three musicians do. Drawing upon a couple centuries of Quebecoise repertoire, De Temps Antan articulated indigenous rhythms, melodies and harmonies in complex, compelling fashion.

Because each of the artists doubled as instrumentalist and vocalist – and some played more than one instrument – the trio more often sounded like a sextet or something larger. Multiple lines intertwined when De Temps Antan was playing at full tilt, yet the clarity and coherence of this music was inarguable.

The feat was all the more striking because one of the three members, guitarist Eric Beaudry, couldn't make the performance, meaning singer-guitarist Danny Ballargeon took his place alongside violinist-percussionist-vocalist Andre Brunet and vocalist-harmonica player Pierre-Luc Dupuis. The three men delivered the ensemble's repertoire with plenty of fire, especially in brisk a cappella passages driven forward by Brunet's exuberantly foot tapping. The urgency of the trio's performance in "No More Money," the deftness of its vocal harmonizing in the historic song "Lisette" and the intricacies of its instrumental counterpoint in a tenderly stated waltz made this a high point of the World Music Festival's opening weekend.

The Chicago band Balkano launched the afternoon with its sleek-lined, contemporary perspective on Eastern European folkloric music. Though the ensemble played everything from Turkish to Greek to Yiddish repertory, the robust spirit and sensibility of klezmer music was at its core. You could hear it in the sometimes whooping, sometimes lamenting phrases of clarinetist Bryan Pardo, the leader of the band and its prime shaper of melody.

Yet Pardo and his ensemble stayed miles away from nostalgia, giving old songs a freshly urgent delivery. Any musicians who have the guts to play "My Yiddishe Momme" at this late date better have something new to say about it, and Balkano certainly did. Vocalist Diana Lawrence's honeyed tone here and her melismatic lines in Turkish music ennobled the proceedings, but, unfortunately, the band sometimes overwhelmed her. Either the instrumentalists need to cut their volume or Lawrence needs to boost her lung power or both.

The singer-guitarist Clay Ross, whose band Matuto rounded out the afternoon's program, earned admiration for originality. When was the last time you encountered an ensemble that merges undulating Brazilian rhythms with all-American bluegrass? Though some of this music leaned toward simplistic pop, other pieces effectively blended two musical languages. "The Way I Love You," a new song, epitomized the best of Matuto's work, layering long-lined country melody alongside pulsing Brazilian rhythm, Ross' vocals as warm in tone as they were believable in lyric content.

For all the exotic musical appeal of this afternoon, though, there were some rough spots. The high-ceilinged auditorium of Austin Town Hall often gave the proceedings too much resonance, leaving vocals and stage patter muddled.

And it was disappointing to see that no signage on the building indicated that a free, World Music Festival concert was taking place inside. Had posters been plastered in front of the building and elsewhere in the neighborhood, a house that was about two-thirds full during most of the afternoon might have been packed.

Then, again, this was the first time the festival ventured here. Next year, fest planners will know better.

The World Music Festival continues through Thursday; for schedule details, visit worldmusicfestivalchicago.org or phone 312-744-3316.